Today most electronic devices such as mobile devices or laptop computers support the playback or rendering of digital content comprising a digital video or image content synchronized with a digital audio content. The digital content may be stored as a data file on either fixed or removable disks, or downloaded over the Internet for a direct playback using streaming or subsequent playback once the download is over. Such electronic devices generally are equipped with a sound card to record sound input from a microphone. More complex sound cards like a “full duplex” sound card enable the recording of sound input while simultaneously playing background audio and video signals from an existing digital content. This is used notably for dubbing a movie in a foreign language where the original voice tracks in the audio content are replaced with new voice tracks in a different language.
Synchronization is essential in dubbing as a user will read outloud lines, providing audio or sound inputs that are recorded to replace the initial voice tracks. Document U.S. Pat. No. 8,009,966B2 discloses a method and user interface for replacing original actors' or singers' voices in a digitized film or video with a replacement lip-synced version created automatically from a user's recording of the dialog or singing. Such teaching may be used for dubbing as mentioned before, or for amusement when users are try to replace the original voices and lines with their own voice and dialogs.
FIG. 3 discloses a known user interface (UI) to revoice a digital content according to document U.S. Pat. No. 8,009,966B2. The user selects a scene 341 to revoice from a digital audio/video content, also called here after a (digital) media content using selector element 340. The scene selection will cause the UI to display the different lines to be displayed in a line selector 350, as the media content is stored with metadata such as lines of dialogues for each character present in the content. The user then may select one or more specific lines 353 to revoice for the selected scene 341. The line selection may be performed through the character element 355 that highlights the lines for a character in the selected scene 341. The user will then be able to record his own voice speaking the selected lines (or his alternative dialogue) having been given visual cues for when to start speaking and when to say the original words or sounds in each line. As explained in the document, the cues may be in the form of a countdown displayed on the UI after the record icon 362 is selected. The recording of the user's voice will start at the end of the countdown. Following or during recording, without the user's intervention, the system will automatically process and edit the user's recorded lines (or voice samples) to create a revoiced version synchronized to those of the original character's audio. The result may be visible through selecting the play icon 363 causing the recorded voice sample to be played in sync with the corresponding original video. Consequently, the revoiced version of the selected scene 341 will generally be rendered with the recorded voice in synchronization with the character's lip movements.
Such a known UI nevertheless required a large number of steps and selections from the user. Furthermore, as may be seen from FIG. 3, the UI remains complex with many different elements to sort out for the user in order to produce the revoiced version of a selected scene. Different icons (record, play, stop) are needed to execute the revoicing as in document U.S. Pat. No. 8,009,966B2.
Today there is still a need to an improved revoicing UI available on an electronic device. There is a further need for a simplified revoicing UI allowing direct access to the revoicing of a digital media content.